Drogba was the hero of Chelsea’s 2012 final victory against Bayern Munich, scoring a late equaliser to force extra-time and then netting the decisive penalty in the shoot-out that followed.
But the powerful Ivorian centre-forward was also one of the cornerstones of Jose Mourinho’s first spell in charge at Stamford Bridge, with the pair arriving at the same time in 2004. ‘It’s a strange feeling,’ Mourinho said, having previously expressed a wish that the clubs would come out of the hat together before the draw was made.
‘We know him well and that means there will be no friends during the game. We have respect for a real legend of this club before the game and after the game, but we have a job to do.
‘It’s in his nature to win and to score, but we have to stop him.’ For Mourinho, coming up against Drogba is nothing new - his Real Madrid side beat Galatasaray 5-3 on aggregate in last season’s quarter-finals despite Drogba scoring for the Turks.
The tie will also see the Chelsea manager come up against Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder, who was the driving force of his Inter side that won the Champions League in 2010 and moved to Istanbul last year.
There is also the enticing prospect of seeing Mourinho in direct confrontation with Mancini, the man he replaced as coach of Inter in 2008, and the man who locked horns with the London club during his tenure at Manchester City.
Beyond the sub-plots, though, Sneijder believes Galatasaray’s inside knowledge on Mourinho’s methods gives them a good chance of springing a surprise. ‘Mourinho knows us well and that is an advantage but the same applies for us, we know Mourinho very well, perhaps better than the Chelsea players know us,’ said the 29-year-old, who also told Turkish media that his former mentor had called him immediately after December’s last-16 draw.
Mancini’s side beat city rivals Besiktas 1-0 at the weekend with a Selcuk Inan penalty to keep the pressure on Fenerbahce in their domestic Super Lig, and have lost just once in 19 games.
However, the Italian insisted in an interview with British radio station TalkSport last weekend that something special would be required for his side to beat Chelsea, with a 6-1 home loss to Real Madrid at the start of the group stage indicating the size of the gap that separates Galatasaray from Europe’s elite.
‘We went through in a difficult group with Real Madrid and Juventus and I think it was a miracle,’ he said. ‘Now we are here and I don’t know if we can do another miracle but we want to try. In football never say never.’ Over two legs, Chelsea are the clear favourites to get the better of Galatasaray.
‘Chelsea 10 times better than us’
ISTANBUL: Didier Drogba has said former club Chelsea are ‘10 times better’ than his current side, Galatasaray, ahead of the teams’ Champions League meeting in Istanbul on Wednesday.
‘Are Chelsea better than Galatasaray? Yes, they are 10 times better,’ the Galatasaray striker, now 35, told the BBC on the eve of the last 16 clash.
‘If I play it is to win. It will be tough but Juve were better than us, so anything can happen. If there’s a one percent chance of us winning. I’ll believe it.’
Drogba spent eight years at Chelsea, scoring 157 goals in 342 games and won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups and also scored the winning penalty against Bayern Munich in the 2012 Champions League final -- his final kick in a Blues shirt.
‘It will be difficult,’ he said of playing against London club Chelsea. ‘You don’t stay eight years in a place you don’t like, especially in football -- it is very emotional. I love Chelsea but I play for Galatasaray now and I will give everything for them.’ I had an amazing time at Chelsea and I respect that.’
But the powerful Ivorian centre-forward was also one of the cornerstones of Jose Mourinho’s first spell in charge at Stamford Bridge, with the pair arriving at the same time in 2004. ‘It’s a strange feeling,’ Mourinho said, having previously expressed a wish that the clubs would come out of the hat together before the draw was made.
‘We know him well and that means there will be no friends during the game. We have respect for a real legend of this club before the game and after the game, but we have a job to do.
‘It’s in his nature to win and to score, but we have to stop him.’ For Mourinho, coming up against Drogba is nothing new - his Real Madrid side beat Galatasaray 5-3 on aggregate in last season’s quarter-finals despite Drogba scoring for the Turks.
The tie will also see the Chelsea manager come up against Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder, who was the driving force of his Inter side that won the Champions League in 2010 and moved to Istanbul last year.
There is also the enticing prospect of seeing Mourinho in direct confrontation with Mancini, the man he replaced as coach of Inter in 2008, and the man who locked horns with the London club during his tenure at Manchester City.
Beyond the sub-plots, though, Sneijder believes Galatasaray’s inside knowledge on Mourinho’s methods gives them a good chance of springing a surprise. ‘Mourinho knows us well and that is an advantage but the same applies for us, we know Mourinho very well, perhaps better than the Chelsea players know us,’ said the 29-year-old, who also told Turkish media that his former mentor had called him immediately after December’s last-16 draw.
Mancini’s side beat city rivals Besiktas 1-0 at the weekend with a Selcuk Inan penalty to keep the pressure on Fenerbahce in their domestic Super Lig, and have lost just once in 19 games.
However, the Italian insisted in an interview with British radio station TalkSport last weekend that something special would be required for his side to beat Chelsea, with a 6-1 home loss to Real Madrid at the start of the group stage indicating the size of the gap that separates Galatasaray from Europe’s elite.
‘We went through in a difficult group with Real Madrid and Juventus and I think it was a miracle,’ he said. ‘Now we are here and I don’t know if we can do another miracle but we want to try. In football never say never.’ Over two legs, Chelsea are the clear favourites to get the better of Galatasaray.
‘Chelsea 10 times better than us’
ISTANBUL: Didier Drogba has said former club Chelsea are ‘10 times better’ than his current side, Galatasaray, ahead of the teams’ Champions League meeting in Istanbul on Wednesday.
‘Are Chelsea better than Galatasaray? Yes, they are 10 times better,’ the Galatasaray striker, now 35, told the BBC on the eve of the last 16 clash.
‘If I play it is to win. It will be tough but Juve were better than us, so anything can happen. If there’s a one percent chance of us winning. I’ll believe it.’
Drogba spent eight years at Chelsea, scoring 157 goals in 342 games and won three Premier League titles, four FA Cups, two League Cups and also scored the winning penalty against Bayern Munich in the 2012 Champions League final -- his final kick in a Blues shirt.
‘It will be difficult,’ he said of playing against London club Chelsea. ‘You don’t stay eight years in a place you don’t like, especially in football -- it is very emotional. I love Chelsea but I play for Galatasaray now and I will give everything for them.’ I had an amazing time at Chelsea and I respect that.’